Calling it an “incredibly difficult day” and at times choking back tears, Calgary Police Chief Katie McLellan has confirmed that police have located the body of a child, believed to be an 11-year-old boy missing since July 16th.

Parker, who was autistic, went missing from his day home and hadn’t been seen since, despite an extensive search.

The search area was recently expanded based on the analysis of CCTV footage.

Chief McLellan confirmed that police were informed on Tuesday by a member of the public about clothing found consistent with what Parker was reported to be wearing.

It appears as though the child had entered a deep culvert and travelled along a network of pipes that crossed under the Deerfoot Trail.

The body was found in a “small pipe” on the east side of Deerfoot Trail. Specialized equipment was needed to enter the pipe system, in what Chief McLellan described as extremely unsafe conditions.

She offered her condolences to the family and her thanks to the many people involved in the extensive search, and to Canadians across the country who helped to share information about Parker.